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States sign on to NDIS launch sites

All Australian states and territories have signed a broad agreement on the national disability insurance scheme.

Speaking after the Council of Australian Governments meeting in Canberra on Friday, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she also had reached individual agreements with Victoria, NSW, the ACT, South Australia and Tasmania on launch sites for the NDIS.

However, Queensland and Western Australia had only signed a broader agreement.

"This agreement means even those places not participating in launch arrangements will learn from the launch arrangements so this will be shared work," Ms Gillard said.

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There was also agreement on electricity prices that would save families up to $250 a year, Ms Gillard said.

This will address the gold plating of the system and over-investment in poles and wires, while giving a voice to consumer on the systems design options and choices.

Big users will be able to moderate the power loads they put on the system during peak times and there will be an empowered regulator to deal with the new rules.

"This is a big issue for Australian families and for Australian businesses," Ms Gillard said.

"People have seen a rapid escalation in their power prices and that has put a lot of pressure on peoples' cost of living."

Ms Gillard said schools reform was discussed by state education ministers and more work would follow at the next COAG meeting in 2013.

An agreement was made to release a 10-year roadmap for mental health, an "important area of health care for the community".

The issue of royal succession was also on the agenda, a timely subject given news this week that Catherine Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, is pregnant.

Ms Gillard said the states had agreed to co-operate on arrangements ensuring that men would not be given preference over women in terms of who becomes the future monarch.

Removing an embargo on royal family members marrying a Catholic or converting to that religion was also discussed, she said.

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill said his state's NDIS launch will be based on a children's model, from birth to age 14.

This will be phased in over three years from 2013, with the South Australian government contributing $20 million.

ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher says 5000 people with disabilities would benefit from the territory being a launch site of the national disability insurance scheme (NDIS).

The leaders also discussed the royal commission into child sexual abuse and its proposed terms of reference.

Ms Gillard said the federal government would bear the cost of the inquiry but the states and territories would offer in-kind support.

"We will continue that work and issue the terms of reference before the year is out," the prime minister said.

"We do want to start what will be an important royal commission for healing for members of our community and an important royal commission to learn lessons for the future."

The premiers and chief ministers were considering issuing letters patent, a legal instrument which would create the maximum legal power and backdrop for the royal commission to undertake its work, the prime minister said.

"What that means is the powers of the federal government can be bolstered by the powers of state governments, the legal powers for the royal commission's work."

State and territory expertise from past inquiries into child sex abuse would be shared with Canberra.

Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu wouldn't be drawn on when his state will agree to a funding agreement for the NDIS.

Instead, he said he was "very pleased" to have formally signed on to the launch.

"I do note that what we have signed, and all our signatures (are) on it, doesn't actually refer to anything other than `an agreement'," Mr Baillieu told reporters.

"It's an interesting piece of paper which we just signed."

Victoria will continue to work with the commonwealth with a view to establishing a sustainable model for the NDIS, he added.

Ms Gillard said there was some discussion about GST in the meeting.

"(But) the federal government will not be changing the rate or the base of the GST," she said.

She said there has been a taskforce that has looked at the $1000 GST threshold on online goods, and it will hand down its final report in 2013.

Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury has already said that changing current arrangements would outweigh any revenue that would be gained, she said.

Ms Gillard said they also discussed construction costs.

She said the federal government was prepared to have a nationwide inquiry into construction costs, but there was some dispute who would make up the panel.

Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu, who has been a driving force behind the inquiry, said a review was supported by a majority of states and jurisdictions.

"We are committed to it," Mr Baillieu said.

"There is a stumbling block, it involved the panel members ... it would seem that the commonwealth and one jurisdiction do not wish to proceed unless their nominee is agreed."